I had a lot of ideas about what it would be like to host World Race America, but God has a way of doing things a lot differently than we expect.
Back in June 2019, while my squad was in month 6 of our Race in Rwanda, I saw a facebook post asking for hosts in Pennsylvania for World Race America. Instantly, I thought of my parents. They have such hearts for serving people however they can, and they have many connections with different people and ministries in our area. I truly saw them thriving at hosting a group of young missionaries, pouring into them, spending time with them, and showing them what living missionally looks like for them. I forwarded the post to my mom the one day I had wifi in Rwanda and asked if she’d be interested. I don’t think I heard a response until month 7 in Uganda, and at that point, they were already slated to come, with dates and ministries already established.
I had a feeling she would do that.
A little later, I found out the two of my friends from my squad were going to be on the World Race America, and I was so excited that I would have the opportunity to see them again at home. In February 2020 we began buying food, organizing the house, preparing places for them to stay and finalizing the schedule for when they would be here in the beginning of April. They were gonna be here during Easter, our community theater’s musical, and the season opening on Hershey Park, and we fully intended on spoiling them with these experiences.
Then Covid happened…
We were faced with the difficult decision of cancelling the squad coming to our house. They were quarantined in Philadelphia with no hope of being allowed to leave anytime soon, and we had no choice but to tell them we could no longer host them in April.
It was heart-breaking, but I trusted the Lord in it. I was sad that I wouldn’t get to meet the Racers, sad that I wouldn’t get to partner with them in ministry in my hometown, and sad that I wouldn’t be able to revisit old friends. I got to talk with some of their team on video chat, and I even got to meet some in person in the beginning of the year, and I knew they were all amazing people, and I think I was the most sad that I wouldn’t get to meet them, but I knew that God’s plan was bigger than my desires.
I had made my peace with them not coming, and trusted that there was a reason it all happened the way it did, but then in the beginning of May, we got an unexpected message. The team had been stuck in Phili for nearly two months, and they needed to move. They had a ministry and host ser up, but had a change of plans a few days before they were supposed to leave, so they called us. In two days, they needed a place to stay, and asked if we were still willing to host.
And we said yes!
We had halted preparations once we learned they weren’t coming in April, but we quickly revived our efforts to be ready for them to come.
But here was the catch: our county was still on strict lock-down. Masks had to be worn everywhere and gatherings of more than 10 people were prohibited. There were 7 people on their team, plus 5 people in my family living in our house, and that’s more than 10.
We talked with the local officials to see if they would be okay with letting them come, and none of them had a problem with it as long as we followed the guidelines. They couldn’t stay in our house with us, they had to wear masks around our family and be diligent about cleaning and sanitizing. So originally, I envisioned them staying in our house, sharing meals with us at our dining room table, and playing games and hanging out in the evenings after ministry. That quickly turned into almost complete separation from them for the whole time they were at our house.
And that was really challenging for me.
I knew it was going to look different than I expected, and I really had to pray and ask the Lord what my role would be in all of this. If I would join them for ministry when I wasn’t working, if I would completely separate myself and let them do their own thing. I had no idea how I could fit into this anymore. And then God told me this:
“Just get to know them.”
They arrived at our house Thursday, May 7th and would be staying for 10 days. I was lucky enough to have off work the day they came, so my mom and I could show them around town, help them set up their living area, which ended up being our garage. We had thought they could tent in our backyard, but that weekend temperatures would be below freezing, so we thought some heaters and blankets in our garage would be more comfortable.
The team was at our house under the absolute strangest circumstances I could have imagined. All of our original ministry partners were not able to take volunteers, the church was closed, and even the adventures we had planned couldn’t be done. We were afraid that they wouldn’t feel welcome because of the situation we were forced to be in, but we did the best we could.
I learned a lot of lessons through the team being here. Lessons I didn’t even know I needed to learn.
First off, I learned that hosting is a LOT of pressure! It gives me a newfound respect for all of the people that hosted us last year. There is a lot to consider, and all you want is for your guests to be comfortable and happy, but sometimes that just isn’t reality. But what I learned is that I need to release that pressure to be perfect from myself. There were things that we did well, and things we could have improved on, and things we had absolutely no control over. We can’t always present ourselves in the neat, put-together package we want to. Sometimes we are broken and unraveling, and we show up covered in stitches and tape that falls apart quicker than we would like. It takes a lot of courage to share your life with someone in a time of unraveling, but that’s what we are called to do. God never told us we had to look perfect, act perfect, or be perfect. He told us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and He would do the rest.
I am really grateful that this team was understanding of our situation and willing to do what little ministry we were able to arrange for them in short notice. They were grateful for what we were able to give and still found joy in the daily trips to the ice-cream shop, the prayer walks, and the ways they could serve our neighbors in whatever ways they could while they were there.
I also learned that loving people in the US is just as simple as it was in other countries. It’s being willing to have that conversation, share that testimony, and serve people’s needs, whatever those needs may be. I had the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with everyone on the team at least once, and I am so grateful that I got that opportunity. I loved getting the chance to get to know them and hear their stories and how they were growing in this time. I was also grateful for the chance to share my own testimony with them.
Honestly, I was in a low place when the team came. I really struggled with the transition home from the Race, and I was coping by being able to see people and talk to people, but the stay at home orders put a damper on that. I still had a lot of phone calls with squad mates and old friends, but I was desperately longing for Godly community and feeling like reality fell painfully short of the connection I desired with others. Starting my job again was really stressful as we operated in survival mode every day, and it was just getting exhausting. I felt hopeless and stuck in a lot of ways, but just getting to have community again, even if it was for a short time, helped me bring life back into perspective. God knew they needed to start moving ministries again and our doors would be opened, and He also knew that I needed their encouragement at that precise moment and that my heart would be opened.
He also knew that I needed to start moving again. I’ve held a lot of resentment in my heart for the place I grew up, and God wanted to heal that through this team. The way they prayed for the community and had conversations with people breathed new life into how I viewed this town. There are so many people deserving of hope and love right here. I’ve been afraid to admit that because admitting that means I have to do something about it, but they taught me that I need to continue stepping out in boldness here, and not being afraid of what people think just because I can’t run away from them in a month.
Team Blaze Trailers is indeed blazing trails. They have not had an easy Race, but they have been continuing to praise God and serve others against all odds, and God is blessing their perseverance and faith by increasing their numbers daily. Their squad that started out with 7 people will be nearly 30 by the end of this month! Each and every person on their team has something unique and beautiful, and they are truly the picture of the diversity of the body of Christ coming together to serve. They all have such different testimonies, but each one is powerful, and are increasing in power as God continues to write more into their stories. They have been so well-equipped to serve and share with so many different people in this country. It’s inspiring to see people with a heart for the US to go out in faith and sacrifice so much just to bring the gospel to life right here. We should all be encouraged to do the same, knowing that if we keep our eyes fixed on God and persevere, He will bless our obedience.
